simplicity 3714 (muslin) - alterations.

gaping armholes.

i honestly didn't have a clue what to do next, but figured it would involve strategically placed darts on the bodice.

that didn't work at all, but taking the side seams in under the arms did without throwing anything else out of whack. i was greatly relieved, because bust or shoulder darts would've meant pulling off all the bias tape & there was just no way in hell i was going to do that. yes, this is the muslin, but i would rather sew a whole new muslin, altering as i go & then applying bias tape, than deal with the bias tape twice on this one.

i ended up taking in about 2 1/2" under the arms. the sides seams are very shaped, so i laid the pattern piece on the fabric & went at it with a ruler, chalk & pencils & multiple bastings till i got it right.



now the left side. of course i'd already put in the zipper on that side.

the zipper placement was originally in the middle of the side seam. i didn't particularly like where it was, because i had to struggle to get the jumper over my shoulders. so i figured while i was at it i'd move the zipper up. combined with taking in & reshaping the side seam, this was a lot harder than i thought it would be, but i finally got everything adjusted & the zipper in. i still need to add a hook & eye closure at the top.



what's left is a lot of handsewing, hemming & finishing all the seams (i don't have a serger). i'm also going to look for some trim for the neckline to cover up my subpar bias tape work.

bias tape on the edges.

i just spent almost an entire weekend creating a front facing for the buttons & trying to apply all that bias tape i made to the armhole and neck edges of the 40's jumper.

really?

the whole mitering the corners thing was where i ran into trouble. i tried my best to make it look good, but i'm still not happy with it. there's got to be a better way to reconcile corners.

i note a lot of day dresses & jumpers from the 40s have trim (rickrack, lace, ruffles) around the neck and armhole edges. i'm beginning to wonder if the trim is there to hide manhandled edges.

onwards.

because the bias tape is finally done.

i don't want to.

i need to make a permanent note to myself that before i embark on any major sewing step, i should wait 24-48 hours to make sure i've covered all the angles.

instead of jumping into pattern grading, it occurred to me that i should first try cutting off the extra 1 1/4" i added on to the pattern when i created my own cutting lines & check the fit the again. if at that point the jumper was still too big, then i could grade it down a size.

the fit is pretty decent, although i'll have to take it in a bit here & there at the bodice, but i'd say a size 18/36" bust pattern is still the right pattern size for me, at least for patterns from the 1940s. i'll need to learn the pattern grading skills eventually though, because the 1940s trousers pattern is a size 20.

the next step in the instructions is to make some bias tape for around the armhole edges.

bias tape is a pain to make (i made some for the green piping for vogue 8425) in the same way that the last thing you want to do is deal with the turkey pan tonight.

that bias tape in all the wrong colors in the cheesy package from the major craft store chain is suddenly looking really attractive.

we don't have a major craft store chain in SF, but if we did i'd be telling myself that no one is going to see the mint green bias tape anyway.


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image source: Create For Less

simplicity 3714.

another 1940s pattern. i have a vision for the style on the right, but first the muslin in lavender* cotton which is going to be a combo of both styles.

the fit of the last '40s project with the 36" bust was so good i thought this jumper with the 36" bust would go the same way. but when i pulled the pattern pieces out of the envelope there were no markings on them.

none whatsoever.



the pattern instructions say to allow a 3/4" seam allowance for the armholes & 1/2" for all other edges. this is probably something that's covered in VERY BASIC SEWING SKILLS THAT EVERYONE KNOWS, but i wasn't sure if that meant you should measure the seam allowances outwards from the edges of the pattern pieces or if the edges were the cutting lines, with the seam allowances inside.

you know, i had 2 options so i went with drawing my own cutting lines, allowing for a 5/8" seam allowance around all edges because that's what i'm used to.

it took me about 30 minutes to baste all the pieces together & when i tried it on it was GIGANTIC. i'm guessing it's somewhere between 2 & 3 sizes too big for me, which brings me to--

image/article source: threads

--pattern grading.

it wasn't on the agenda, probably doesn't absolutely need to be on the agenda, but no time like the present & all the rest of it.

about these vintage patterns. working with pattern pieces that are 60+ years old is thrilling in a way i can't even describe.


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*i can't wear pastel fabrics in public because i look stupid in pastels. however, i love lavender, so this muslin will be the comfy, lavender cotton dress that i wear around the house.